The entire noble Quran was not revealed to the Holy Prophet Mohammad all of a sudden. On the contrary, it was revealed, little by little, over a span of nearly twenty three years.
At times, the angel Jibrael would come with a small verse, or even with some unit of a verse. Then, there were times when several verses would be revealed at one time.
The smallest portion of the Quran which was revealed as such is
which forms part of the following longer verse [Quran 4:95] :
On the other hand, the whole of Surah al-Anam (Chapter 6) was revealed at one time.
Often a question is asked by many people that instead of being revealed all at once, why was the Quran revealed in parts little by little?
The polytheists (mushriks) of Arabia had themselves put this question to the Holy Prophet. Allah Almighty has taken it upon Himself to answer the question in the following words:
Said those who disbelieved, “Why has the Quran not been revealed to him (Muhammad) all at once?” (It has been sent down) in this way (i.e. in parts) so that We make your heart firm, and We revealed it little by little. Quran [25 : 32]
They bring to you no hypothesis, but We bring to you the correct position and (an answer) better explained. Quran [25 : 33]
Reasons why Quran was Revealed Gradually in Parts
It is sufficient to understand a gist of the wisdom behind the gradual revelation of the Holy Quran as stated by Imam al Razi in his explanation of this verse. He says:
- The Holy Prophet (pbuh) was ummiyy, that is, being unlettered, he did not know how to read or write. So, had the entire Quran been revealed at one time, it would have been difficult to remember and document. Contrary to this, Prophet Musa knew reading and writing, therefore, the Torah was revealed to him at one single time.
- If the entire Quran had been revealed all at once, the immediate compliance of all its injunctions would have become obligatory, and this would have gone against the wise graduation which has featured as a matter of concern in the Shariah of Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
- The Holy Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) had to go through ever-new tortures inflicted by his people. That Angel Jibrael came, again and again, with the words of the noble Quran, made his stand against these tortures bearable, and gave strength to his heart.
- A large portion of the Quran is devoted to answers given to people who posed questions, while some other portion refers to various particular events. Therefore, the revelation of those verses was appropriate at the time when those questions were asked, or those events came to pass. This increased the insight of Muslims and when the Quran unfolded that which was unseen, its truth became all the more manifest.
alhadhullilah